What I’ve Read Lately

Hello everyone! I’m back with the third installment of my What I’ve Read series [see the previous ones here + here]. I’ve so enjoyed putting these together and I hope I’ve given you some new reads to add to your list! These last six books I read were all actually so good! Read on to see what I completed recently.

Summary: Set in Chicago, a young woman named Esther Vaughan disappears from her apartment without a trace. As a result, her friend and roommate Quinn Collins sets out to find out who Esther is and whether or not she’s the person Quinn thought she knew. There’s a parallel story centered around a boy named Alex and the story unfolds to tell us how they’re all connected.

What I liked/didn’t like: As Kubica books are, this was a page turner. The twist in this book was crazy and I couldn’t stop reading until I figured out who Esther really was and what really happened to her.

Would I recommend it: Yes. I definitely liked this better than Every Last Lie, but probably not as much as The Good Girl.

Summary: This book is all about a girl named Margo who lives in the place called the Bone. The Bone has seen its share of struggles and hope is grim around these parts. Margo is not like other girls. Her cursed mother hasn’t spoken to her in over two years. She develops a friendship with her wheelchair-bound neighbor, Judah Grant, and things begin to change. When a neighborhood girl goes missing, Judah sets out to help Margo uncover what happened to her. What Margo finds changes her, and with a new perspective on life, she’s determined to find evil and punish it–targeting rapists and child molesters, one by one. The book then follows Margo as she seeks vigilante justice for that girl.

What I liked/didn’t like: This book was intense. I mean, INTENSE. Some parts were even hard to read. I pushed through, though, because I wanted to see what happened. While it was a bit all over the place in my opinion, it was certainly a gripping read.

Would I recommend it: Maybe. If you like mysteries are ok with somewhat graphic content, this will compel you. It was a bit hard for me to get through but it had its moments.

Summary: This novel starts in a quiet town in Connecticut, where everything seems picture perfect. That is until Jenny Kramer is attacked at a local party. After, she is given a controversial drug to medically erase her memory of what happened. But, as she heals from her physical wounds, Jenny struggles with her lack of emotional memory. While her parents, Tom and Charlotte, seek help for their daughter, all sorts of scandals come to fruition and everyone is left trying to put the pieces back together. Jenny’s recovery from this incident, with the help of her shrink, is the end game.

What I liked/didn’t like: Like Marrow, this was an intense read. Especially as a parent, it was hard to get through some parts. However, this was well-structured and the ending blew my mind. This may be one of the few books I’ve ever read where I 100% did not see the ending coming.

Would I recommend it: Yes. This book was almost like a collision between Black Mirror and SVU. If you’re into either of those, you’ll probably like this.

Summary: This story is about 3 women and how their lives intertwine and end in a murder. The book is structured by all the days leading up to the eventual murder. The way the story unfolds, you know there is a murder but you don’t know who gets killed or who committed the crime. Details of all three women’s lives come out and scandals come to light that rock this picture-perfect Australian town. Who ends up dead and why?

What I liked/didn’t like: I couldn’t put this one down! Because of the way the book leads up to the murder, you want to keep reading to figure out who dunnit.

Would I recommend it: Yes. I’ve heard the book is way better than the show and now I don’t want to watch it! But this was truly a page turner and I loved a few of the characters.

Summary: Little sister Riley has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager after she commited a heinous crime. Now, as an adult and after her father has passed away, Riley is cleaning out his house and finds evidence that Lisa is alive. She works to uncover how this could be and what other secrets the family has been keeping. Riley must decide what leads to pursue, what and who to believe, and how to move forward with what she uncovers.

What I liked/didn’t like: There’s a big twist in this book, however, it was sort of similar to the twist in a book I’ve previously read so that kind of ruined it for me. But I loved the writing in this and I truly was on Riley’s side cheering her on.

Would I recommend it: Yes. This was a good read and pretty easy. I actually enjoyed that this a mystery that didn’t involved the police, but the protagonist truly figuring it out on her own.

Summary: When Mia Dennett goes missing, her family starts the search for her with the help of Detective Hoffman. As they dig into the family history and where Mia could’ve ended up, family secrets come out from both Mia and her kidnapper’s past and present. Where is Mia, who took her, and why?

What I liked/didn’t like: This was a page turner, but very predictable. I’ve seen a movie with almost this same plot so I called it from very early on what happened. I would say there was a slight twist at the very end that was a surprise, but the overall story was easy to call.

Would I recommend it: Yes. I’m finding that Kubica has a pretty predictable style. I’ll say Every Last Lie was my least favorite of hers. Don’t You Cry was the least predictable, but I liked the writing style of this one the best.

My name is Preeti and I am a wife, mother, sister, and friend who is navigating my way through life in Cincinnati, OH.
I work in the beauty industry for a living and work from home, so Nines to 5 is my place to express myself through fashion. Just because I have a home office doesn't mean I can't dress to the nines for my 9-5!

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[…] and turns that you didn’t see coming. There was an element in that kind of reminded me of All Is Not Forgotten, and I couldn’t put it down. This is a psychological thriller in every sense of the word and […]